Third of taxi users feel unsafe, study finds

The majority of the respondents were women aged between 26 and 40

More than a third of taxi users in Lancashire feel unsafe when using them, according to new research.

A study by the University of Central Lancashire with Chorley Taxi Association - which did not include Uber or rideshare vehicles - found more than 200 taxi users who took part in the anonymous month-long survey in November, reported feeling unsafe.

The majority of the respondents were women aged between 26 and 40 who said the driver asking personal questions was top of the complaint list.

The driver speaking a different language, driving style, being a single passenger and the driver making inappropriate comments were also reasons passengers felt unsafe.

'Only transport option'

The study saw 600 people taking part, with nearly half using taxis a few times a week, mainly in the evenings.

Two thirds said they would feel safer if they could check the driver's licence number on a website.

Professor Joanne Westwood, from the university's connect centre for international research on interpersonal violence and harm, ran the survey with Dr Helen Richardson Foster.

Professor Westwood said: "To have a third of all participants state they felt unsafe is worrying because taxis are a key cog in our transport system and sometimes they are the only transport option for many people.

"What is also interesting is that Lancashire is populated with diverse communities with different ethnicities and who speak many languages, so it is unclear why this makes respondents, who came from a range of ethnic groups, feel unsafe."

"We must ensure that no woman ever feels unheard, unsafe, or unwelcome in a space that should offer peace of mind," Shaz Malik, chair of the Chorley Taxi Association said.